Accent differences

Peter   Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:38 pm GMT
Hello everyone :)

I speak with a russian accent which often causes a misunderstanding and a need for repetition when I speak to a native american speaker. I have been unsuccessfully trying to research websites that could help me figure out phonetic differences between russian and american. I would be grateful if you could help me find a useful website on the topic or if you could describe the main phonetic differences.
By the way, I'm 18 - is it possible for me to neutralize my accent?

Thank you for all your input :)
Guest   Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:20 am GMT
Ann Cook is your friend.
Uriel   Sun Mar 09, 2008 5:45 am GMT
I don't think Russian accents are that hard to understand. Your L's and R's are a little different, but still obviously L's and R's. I think your short U's tend to turn into broad A's to our ears. You will probably always have a hint of an accent, but you can certainly improve it with some practice.